After the outbreak of the Second World War, in the British Crown Colony of Ceylon, the government of Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka assured the British King and his government of its continued support.
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography and is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
The following tables present the ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Navy. These ranks are similar to Royal Naval officer ranks and the ratings ranks. Sri Lanka does have an Admiral rank, but it is usually only awarded to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) or as an honorary rank; Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda was the only Sri Lankan naval officer to hold a full admiral rank while in active service.
Admiral Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando VSV, USP, MNI was a senior Sri Lanka Navy officer. He served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1 November 1991 to 16 November 1992, when he was assassinated by the LTTE he was the most senior officer in the Sri Lankan armed forces to be killed in the line of duty.
Rear Admiral Rajanathan Kadiragamar, MVO was a Ceylonese flag officer. He was the second Ceylonese Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy from 1960 to 1970 and as such the longest serving Commander of the Navy.
Vice Admiral A. H. Asoka de Silva, VSV was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1983 to 1986. He was the first Sri Lankan Ambassador to Cuba.
Admiral Deshamanya D. Basil Gunasekara was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1973 to 1979.
Admiral Thisara Sugeeshwara Gunasekara Samarasinghe RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, DISS, MNI, SLN was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 15 July 2008 to 15 January 2011. He had a distinguished 36-year career in the Sri Lankan Navy. His career included a wide range of key appointments at sea and ashore, including training in the United Kingdom, India and the United States.
Admiral Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne, WV, RWP & Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI(M), ndc, psn, is a retired Sri Lankan admiral, and former Chief of Defence Staff of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. He has also served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, the Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard and held, at various times, four of the seven Naval Commands of the SLN. Wijegunaratne has also served as Director Naval Operations, and is a recipient of the Weerodara Vibhushanaya.
Navy House was the official residence of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, located in SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. It was formerly the official residence of the naval officer commanding, HM Dockyard, Trincomalee and later the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station of the Royal Navy.
Colombo Racecourse is a historical harness racing course in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. During the Second World War, it was used as a temporary airfield. In 2012, it was redeveloped as the Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex to become the first International Rugby Union ground in Sri Lanka to host all the national rugby union side's home matches.
Admiral Jayanath Colombage, RSP, VSV, USP, FNI is a Sri Lankan flag officer and diplomat. He was the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 2022, prior to which he served as Additional Secretary to the President for foreign relations. A career naval officer, he had served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, the professional head of the navy from September 2012 to June 2014.
Daya W. K. Sandagiri was the 14th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. Admiral Sandagiri was born in Veyangoda and had his education at St. Mary's Maha Vidyalaya, Veyangoda and Kegalu Vidyalaya, Kegalle. He enlisted in the then Royal Ceylon Navy on 14 November 1966 and was in the first batch of naval cadets to join the Naval and Maritime Academy at Trincomalee on 1 July 1969. He was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the navy as a sub-lieutenant on 1 July 1972.
Admiral (retired) Jayantha Perera RWP, VSV, USP, ndu, psc was the 19th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.
Admiral D. A. Mohan R. Samarasekara, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, SLN was the 13th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.
Vice Admiral Hikkaduwage Ananda Silva, VSV was a Sri Lankan senior naval officer who was the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.
Admiral Alfred William Henry Perera, VSV, ndc, psc, SLN (1930-2009) was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 1979 to 1983. He also served as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Kenya.
Rear Admiral Gerard Royce Maxwell De Mel, OBE was a Ceylonese admiral. He was the Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy from 1955 to 1961, the first Ceylonese to hold the post. He was accused and convicted in the 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt.
Rear admiral Conan Anthony Mohan Jayamaha, RWP, VSV, USP, psc, SLN was a Sri Lankan Admiral. He was Commander, Northern Naval Area of the Sri Lanka Navy when he was killed from wounds sustained in a land mine explosion that killed 7 other senior military officers including Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa in island of Kayts while making preparations for Operation Final Countdown the proposed invasion of the Jaffna Peninsula.
The Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was the volunteer naval reserve of the British Crown colony of Ceylon from 1938 to 1950. Established as the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) on 1 January 1938 under the Naval Volunteer Ordinance, No, l of 1937. It was made up of volunteers mainly from the mercantile sector of Colombo consisting of 12 officers and 18 sailors, under the command of the newly commissioned Commander W. G. Beauchamp. The first headquarters of the force was set up on 11 January 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, at Kochchikade.
Sri Lanka Navy 
